Child Labour !

One In Six Of World's Children Work
07/05/2002 08:34 AM
Reuters

GENEVA (Reuters) - Some 246 million children between the ages of five and 17, or one child in six in the world, work and about 75 percent of them have hazardous jobs, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said.

In its most detailed findings yet on the problem, the UN agency said the Asian-Pacific region had the largest number, with 127 million children aged between five and 14 having a job.

"Despite the increasing commitment by governments and their partners to tackle child labour worldwide, it remains a problem on a massive scale," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.

The ILO said it was particularly alarmed at the fact that such a high number about 180 million - were trapped in what it called the "worst forms" of child labour where they could be exposed to health risks or physical injury.

Most such jobs were in agriculture or construction but they could include slavery and prostitution.

It estimated that 8.4 million children were caught in the "unconditional worst forms" of labour - slavery, trafficking, debt bondage and other kinds of forced labour, forced recruitment for armed conflict, prostitution, pornography and other illicit activities.

"Despite significant progress in efforts to abolish child labour, an alarming number of children are trapped in its worst forms," it said.


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I had the feeling that the world had started to make some progress but this definitley proves me wrong !

I had a part time job at 15...

...yep I had a paper round when I was 14, but this is sorta freaky

it's pretty sick really, makes me realise how lucky I really am.

Even though NZ isnt the most safe place these days at least we have as much freedom as we do

Imagine if those kids were not working and instead were playing, learning, etc stuff kids are supposed to do. Then there might be enough, or at least a bit more, work available to adults instead of having huge unemployment everywhere!

I guess thats why they employ kids instead of adults though, the bottom line.

$=666

Yet again, SNAFU shows no knowledge of the real function of money! Hurrah!

Would you like to try your luck with barter, mofo? What service or good do you provide that is universally tradeable?

None? Oh, well shut up about money being evil then. Money is not evil, people are evil.

I am not really overly interested in trade for gain.

I hope to be able to supply all my own power, water and food needs in the future.

I want to escape the materialistic world of modern capitalism as far as possible.

SNAFU: You still gonna log onto biggie when you go live in your cave? Or are you going to build some sort of organic computer and hook it up to the net?

yeah, good point, I'm still trying to figure out how I can do that!

But I wouldn't actually be averse to having a PC and powering it with my own power source.

That way I can watch as the world crumbles around me (maybe....maybe not)

Back to the topic, those figures are shocking, but I don't think they tell the true story. How many of them work to help feed the family for a start. The numbers in really dodgy jobs is a disgrace. I wonder how many of the products we buy are made with the help of child labour. Probably more than we think.

I'll bet, but isn't it particularly bad that 75% of them have hazardous jobs!

Sick bastards who make kids do dangerous stuff.

>

but that 75% includes agriculture which I think is pushing it a bit far to describe as dangerous.

There is nothing wrong with kids having jobs, teaches them discpline and money skills but this is taking it a little too far. Money is not the root of all evil, its the people behind it.

Sometimes you do need to survive.
When we are reminded of this sort of thing it makes you realise that we are pretty well off here in Godsone.
New Zealand should take the led in helping to fix thios type of thing. Its not just a matter of not buying certain goods but of getting involved internationally for the betterment of all the world.

I think it is unfortunate that kids under 15 are robbed of their youth. But realise that these kids would not work in such situations if their needs were being meet. There is no point taking away the childs job if there is no one meeting the childs needs. I can think of far worse situations than a child working in poor conditions for minimal pay. I believe this is just one of the unfortunate by products of capitalism.

Yep, if you have no job and no money and no way of supporting children then the only obvious thing to do is to have as many as possible and let them spend their childhood starved, working as prostitutes and coal miners...

I have been working since i was 14 (part time). This is completely different...

Is that you trolling trapper, or do you really have no understanding of the different culture that people in these countries have.